Mr.Speaker, when I heard that remark by the member for Abbotsford, it was not about him. When we spoke about certain colleagues here with dual citizenship, he joked back—but it was not funny—“He shouldn't belong here”. That is what I heard. If he says that is not what he said, I believe him, but I heard properly. I am pretty far along in my English classes and am starting to understand properly. But let us move on.
I can say that we have indeed fulfilled our role properly. We have invested in the regions. We have worked to make sure that Canada is not just Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, but also the rural and semi-urban areas. People, no matter where they live, are entitled to the assurance that the government is shouldering its responsibilities. That is what we have done in industry, in the automotive sector, and in R&D in a number of scientific fields. This is the right approach, and not interference.
I would, moreover, encourage the hon. member to listen in question period when they are trying to accuse us of interference and politicking. There is a saying in French that if you spit into the wind, it only ends up back on your own face. He ought to be careful when he makes comments like that, very careful.
I like this job a lot and I keep finding out more and more things I could talk about. The Minister of National Defence is a seasoned lobbyist who had 28 separate contracts. He knew plenty about procurement. He even used to approach Defence directly with the suggestion about looking after Stewart & Stevenson trucks. This very same minister is now responsible for the specs for truck purchases. We will be talking about that. There are plenty of things we will be able to talk about.
I think, however, that he is confused about what a Minister of Industry does: he needs to do his job, not go off to Washington to negotiate on bended knee. He needs to do his job, working for all Canadians. If the member for Abbotsford thinks—and I believe he does—that regional development is important, and that the people in his region are also important, then he must agree that an industry minister has a duty to intervene. This is not interfering, it is just doing his job.